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If you have a fish pond, fish tank or are seeking advice about keeping tropical fish, you can find advice on our Fish forum.

Original poster

Have you had pregnant guppy and fry?

16 replies

Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 10:37

I finally got my fish. 6 guppies and a bristlenose pleco. I thought all the guppies were male but in my extremely inexpert opinion 2 are females and pregnant. I've got a second tank to put them into and am planning another tank after the fry are born to keep females separate. Thing is I'm confused about fry care. Websites give conflicting info even down to suggesting only putting 100 or so fry in 2.5 liters of water with no heater or filter. If anyone's actually had fry can you please tell me what you used? The shop offered to take them back but I expect the fry will get eaten in the shop, and having bought them I feel somewhat responsible for them!

OP posts:
EauRouge · 16/04/2013 10:49

Did the shop sell you the guppies as males?

You could just keep the females in one tank and leave the fry in there with them. The weak ones may get picked off but plenty will survive, especially if you give them plenty of hiding places. Java moss is great for fry. If you're feeding flake food then make sure you crumble it up small enough for them to eat. Aside from that it's fairly simple!

If you're keeping a mixed shoal of guppies then you need to keep them at a ratio of 2 females to 1 male to prevent the females getting hassled too much. If you're not sure if they are male or female then can you get a photo?

Keeping 100 fry in 2.5 l with no heater or filter sounds like a pretty quick way to kill them Confused

Original poster
Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 10:55

Yes they were sold as male. Looking at them it seems an easy mistake as one is very bright and the tail is the same as the other male her colour. I will try to take pics but they don't really like staying still! I only wanted males to avoid this but it's happened and my daughter is hoping for fry!

OP posts:
EauRouge · 16/04/2013 11:12

It's pretty easy to tell females from males once you know what you're looking for. This is a line drawing rather than a photo so you can see it more clearly. The anal fin on a female is fan shaped and on a male is pointy.

Guppy breeding is brilliant fun for children and the babies are super-cute. As long as you've got homes lined up then go for it.

Original poster
Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 11:19

I've popped a couple of pics up of the suspects if you don't mind taking a peek for me. Homes shouldn't be a problem but I won't be making a habit of breeding!

OP posts:
EauRouge · 16/04/2013 11:20

I can't click on your profile, have you made it public or whatever it is you need to do?

Original poster
Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 11:24

Yup just realised I need to change it, have done so!

OP posts:
YoniBottsBumgina · 16/04/2013 11:26

Guppies breed very very fast, I'd be careful!

EauRouge · 16/04/2013 11:29

Hard to tell on the first one, is that poo or a fin on the red fish on the right? It's a bit blurry.

The black one in the second photo looks like a female to me.

Original poster
Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 11:32

sorry its the best pic i could get! Tis a long poo.

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Original poster
Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 11:38

Yonibotts (Love the name!) I'm going to take the girls out as soon as the new tank is up and running.

OP posts:
EauRouge · 16/04/2013 11:39

Ah, could be a female then. Females are bigger than males when fully grown and it looks like a big fish. They also get a dark spot around their vent (just near the anal fin), you can see one here.

Original poster
Stropzilla · 16/04/2013 11:41

Thanks. The orange one has one too, but its quite pink and doesn't show in pictures. I've been told if they've been in with the boys they're pregnant but I thought I'd ask here because the internet is a minefield of misinformation but MN has never steered me wrong!

OP posts:
EauRouge · 16/04/2013 12:01

Oh yes, if they've been in with males then they are pregnant for sure. Guppies make rabbits seem chaste in comparison Grin

They can also store sperm for a short period of time so even if you buy a female from a tank of females it's no guarantee that you won't end up with babies- she could have been shipped with males or they could have been mixed up in the shop. Basically, if you're going to keep livebearers then expect babies.

Marne · 18/04/2013 21:21

I breed guppies (have been keeping them for 18 months), i have had quite a few fry, i have one big tank for my adult guppies and a smaller tank for fry, i let my females give bith in the tank, i then fish out the babies into a breeding net, when they are a week old i move them to the fry tank, as soon as they are bigger than the adult fishes mouths they go back into my big tank (as they grow quicker in a big tank) and then as soon as they get their colour i sell them, i rarely keep any of my own fry unless i get a very rare colour as i dont like then in-breeding.

I have never been over run with fry, the most i have had from one female is 20 fry (as some get eaten before i get to them), sometimes i only get 5 fry from one female. They dont produce fry every month (like people say), sometimes i go a couple months with no fry. I have about 5 adult females at the moment and i only have 10 fry (from 2 of my females).

Marne · 18/04/2013 21:25

From your pictures i can see that one is deffently female, the orange ones and the blue tailed are deffently male.

Original poster
Stropzilla · 18/04/2013 21:32

Thank you so much for all your info and advice! We will just have to wait and see now.

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